No, not us. We don’t want your music stands. But the KU Department of Music does.

We were incredibly amused (and honored, to be honest) when we got an email the other day from the KU Band office:

At the closing of the school year, we at the University of Kansas Bands take some time to do housekeeping and review equipment. We find ourselves short of music stands. This often happens when students take stands to perform at venues and houses of worship around town and forget to bring them back.

I am writing to ask that you take a look in your performance spaces and sanctuaries for stands labeled “KU Band” or “KU School of Music.” If your organization happens to have any of these stands, please contact me by replying to this email or by calling me at the number below. We will gladly stop by and pick up any music stands you might have.

The Bar Band isn’t officially affiliated with KU, although the group is primarily made up of KU band and music students (and former students who just can’t quite move on). You may or may not know that the Bar Band, a great tradition in the Lawrence nightlife scene for many years now, actually got its start at the Sandbar back in the mid-90’s.

So, even though the group isn’t officially part of KU, we still thought it was pretty cool that the folks in the band office were reaching out to us about their missing music stands. It’s pretty much an official acknowledgement of the group, we think. Or they’re just really, really desperate to find those missing stands.

The Bar Band visited the Sandbar last night to rally the fans for today's football game against Colorado.

The Bar Band is one of our very favorite traditions. This ever-changing group of musicians has endured for over a decade now! You can read about their history here and see a picture of the original group here.

I wasn't there last night to see them. But the cool thing about social media and the online world today is that I can still share pictures and even a video with you, thanks to friends of the Sandbar who were there.

Heather took this picture from her awesome spot in the bar- right in front of the band. She probably can't hear today, but as she said, "it's a small price to pay for the awesomeness!"

Another Sandbar fan, Becca, took this great picture:

And finally, Brent, an out-of-town visitor here for the game, uploaded this video:

Thanks to everyone who came in last night, and especially to Heather, Becca and Brent for sharing pictures and video with us! Enjoy the tailgate and the game today, and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

The Bar Band is one of our favorite traditions- members of the Marching Jayhawks & the KU Pep Bands form this group that takes to the streets of Lawrence the night before games to get the town excited.

They used to only come out during football season, but at some point decided it was so much fun, they might as well play during basketball season too. We're glad they do.

Not too long ago, Dave installed strands of white LED lights on the ceiling. They're not on all the time, but they make the bar a little brighter during the day. When the bar band stopped by in early March, he flipped on the lights so we could record a little better video.

Here's our last footage of the bar band from this season. It's kind of long, about five minutes, but it's worth it. Our bartender/doorguy Tyler is standing on the bar, on the far left of the video, playing his trumpet. Enjoy!

That's a lot of stuff for one title- and it's also a summary of our upcoming Friday (February 19) night at The Sandbar.

Here's a breakdown of what's happening:

Tacos

For many years we've had free wings after work on Friday, ordered from our neighbors up the street at Jefferson's. While we love the wings and adore our friends at the restaurant, we wanted to mix it up a little and try something new.

So, we're having a free taco bar starting at 5 and ending when the tacos run out. Stop by and enjoy one, and let us know what you think!

Beads

The St. Patrick's Day Parade (our favorite event of the year!) committee folks will be pub-crawling around Lawrence on Friday night between 6:30-9:30. They'll have armloads of beads, t-shirts, caps, and other commemorative parade stuff for sale. Buy something or make a donation- it's for the kids!

And don't forget the annual parade this year. It's on Wednesday, March 17, at 1 p.m. Get downtown early to get a good spot, and make sure to watch for the Sandbar's float!

Bands

Everybody's favorite Lawrence pre-game-night tradition, the Bar Band will arrive around 9:45 and play your favorite KU tunes. It gets pretty crowded while they're here, so make sure to get here early if you want to see them.

Even if you can't get in the door, the doorguy usually keeps the door open during this extravaganza. Everyone in line (and down the block) can hear the band playing.

Toast

And finally, the toast. Friday, February 19, is also known as "St. Practice Day." It's the day of the annual Great Guinness Toast, which takes place at 10 p.m. The Toast started in 1993 in Pittsburgh, and breaks its own participation record each year.

I'm not sure how we're going to pull off all of this, since 10 p.m. is a popular time that night. What do you think of the Bar Band dressed up as mermaids and playing during the indoor hurricane, while the crowd around them is toasting with Guinness?